Part III: POWER YOUR BUSINESS THROUGH PINTEREST

The Power Of Pinterest

Previously, in Part II of our blog on Pinterest, we addressed the ways the creative business owner puts Pinterest to work: pinning topic-specific subjects that may arouse the interest of others; cultivating followers by sharing and promoting other users’ pins as a way to stimulate interaction; thinking visually in a medium that is visually oriented—all optimizing, for the savvy user, the power of Pinterest.

One popular way of stimulating Pinterest interest is to ask your customers to pin photos of them engaged with your product. For instance, if you own a clothing goods outfit, ask customers to pin their favorite photos of them wearing your product. But here’s where you go further: Ask for photos of them wearing your company-designed t-shirts while doing things they like to do, like taking in a ballgame, shopping at a trendy boutique, or partying with friends at their favorite club.

From there it’s not a huge leap to host your own contest on Pinterest for the top photos submitted. In that way, you construct a showcase presenting lifestyle moments that your brand inspires in others. It is a unique and visually creative way to maximize customer testimonials but also a tool for understanding the interests and needs of your customers. And remember, Pinterest is a two-way street. View your customers’ pinboards to gain insights into who they are and what they’re interested in.

Pinboards and Photos

With active pinboards and mutual sharing, it won’t be long before people will begin viewing you as the residential Pinterest expert in your field, the place where people go to catch up on the latest for your industry. The paper company Minted illustrates this through its themed pinboards and lifestyle photos showing interesting ways to utilize Minted’s product, like its season-timely Trick or Treat Halloween pinboard.

Insert links in your pins back to your website to drive traffic to your landing pages then keep track of referral traffic and leads generated from Pinterest. That information will enable you to gauge the success of the Pinterest platform compared to your other marketing efforts.

And don’t just pin photos. Pinterest accommodates video as well, so if you or others in your employment speak at conferences or industry events from time to time, pin those too and bring movement and a “live” feel to your exposure that only video can create. It’s all waiting out there for the business owner with an interest in Pinterest!